Many junior doctors in Bristol would need to work for a decade before they can ‘hope to own a home’ in the city, according to the city's representative for the British Medical Association (BMA). Dr Emma Coombe said that's the position faced by junior doctors while the cost of living continues to rise above salaries.
Junior doctors in England say they are paid 26 per cent less in real terms than they were in 2008 - but their current 72-hour walk out is about more than just pay. Those who have been on strike across England since Monday (January 13), like their colleagues in the NHS, have found themselves with a recruitment crisis.
In 2022, the British Medical Journal (BMJ) conducted a survey that found more than a third of junior doctors planned on leaving the NHS in favour of better paid jobs in countries like Australia and New Zealand. While the starting rate of pay for junior doctors is just £14.09 per hour, many also find themselves with huge student loan debts which can amount to over £100,000 in some cases.
READ MORE: Bristol strikes LIVE as teachers, junior doctors and BBC staff walk out
Dr Coombe, who has been striking alongside other doctors in Bristol today, said they are prepared to stage another walkout in April if the government fails to listen to their demands. She said: “It’s demoralising, starting every conversation with an apology because patients have been waiting for so long. You don’t want to go home feeling like you’ve not done a good enough job when it’s not our fault.
“Doctors on the picket line in Bristol say they will strike again in April if they need to. A lot of the nurses are also frustrated and they want to get out on the picket line with us.
“Most people would think that junior doctors earn a lot of money but many will have to work for a decade in Bristol before they can hope to own their own home. We have 10,000 vacancies and pay had been falling for the last 15 years.
“A lot of my colleagues are leaving to work in Australia, New Zealand and Canada. We think the extent that hospitals rely on the work of junior doctors has been underestimated.”
Junior doctors joined other striking workers for a rally on College Green ahead of the budget announcement. BMA members were joined by other union members currently on strike who all made speeches at the rally today.
University lecturers from the UCU were joined by teachers, civil servants and BBC journalists in the NUJ who were all out on strike today. UCU is currently re-balloting its members and could be announcing further days of strike action.
Teachers from the NEU are currently in the middle of a 48-hour walk out which will conclude their four day national strike which began at the beginning of this month. 100,000 civil servants and public sector workers from the PSC union are taking part in a one-day strike over pay, pensions and job security.
BBC journalists are also out on strike for one day over cutbacks to local radio. Due to today’s industrial action the BBC points West 10.30am, 1.30pm and 10.30pm programmes were cancelled.
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